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Topic: How did you become interested in the Romanovs? (Read 9814 times)

This has probably already been discussed elsewhere, but I'm curious: how did some you become interested in the Romanovs? For me, I was at the library, and I reluctantly pulled the Royal Diaries book, The Last Grand Duchess off the shelf, and when I finished it, I read the eplioge, and thought it was so sad what happened to them, and started researching--which is how I got here. Again, I apologize if this has been discussed somewhere else. :-/

I became interested after watching Nicholas and Alexandra and then the live coverage of the funeral in 1998 on TV. I decided to read Massie's book to learn how accurate the movie was, and then I got hooked.

This has probably already been discussed elsewhere, but I'm curious: how did some you become interested in the Romanovs? For me, I was at the library, and I reluctantly pulled the Royal Diaries book, The Last Grand Duchess off the shelf, and when I finished it, I read the eplioge, and thought it was so sad what happened to them, and started researching--which is how I got here. Again, I apologize if this has been discussed somewhere else. :-/

This is excatly how i started to like the Romanovs too. I first liked the Tudors, and so I was really into the Elizabeth 1 Royal Diary, and I just got the Anastasia one and I showed them to my Grampa (this was about 5 years ago!)and he said personally he liked Anastasia more because he knew some stuff about the whole Anna Anderson thing.

So after I read the Anastasia one, I decided to research some more, and look where it's gotten me!

I had watched the cartoon Anastasia with Meg Ryan as Anastasia's voice, but that's not what did it. I had read all the Royal Diary books except the Last Grand Duchess one. I thought it would be boring, so I saved it for last. I ended up liking it the most of the series, lol. Then I remembered the cartoon, and rented it. I ended up looking up pictures and learning more about Anastasia's family. I am SO glad I decided not to skip the Last Grand Duchess.

Me too! Well, I didn't want to get it because (a) I thought it would be boring, and (b) I was more interested in history further back. Much researching later, I remembered when I was little looking at the cartoon at the Movie Gallery, not knowing what it was about but still thinking it looked stupid. I rented it and became disappointed to see that they made her "escape" not being able to board a train!

In elementary school, at the end of testing week for all the 4th and 5th graders, our teachers decided to give us a treat for everyone showing up all five days. So they showed us the Anastasia cartoon (although one of the teachers said that the movie was about real events and the the eldest child was only thirteen when she died.

It stuck in my brain because, at ten years old, I couldn't imagine how cruel people could be to kill children. I went to the library and looked up 'Anastasia' and I found a copy of Anastasia's Album. I found out it was the youngest who died at thirteen, but so much more. I noticed how different the real story was from the cartoon, and I was intrigued. Later, I read the fictional diary, and once I graduated to the adult section, I found all sorts of books about the family. Despite all negative things about it, I'm glad I watched the cartoon so that I could learn about the Imperial family!

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Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we're gone and wonder who we were? How bravely we fought? How fiercely we loved?

I have read a thread of how many of us loyal IF fans have gotten interested into the IF. So I thought I would write about myself.

I first heard of the IF when I was about eight or nine (I am now 21) on Unsolved Mysteries. They had a special hour episode about the survival of Anastasia. I can remember vivally of the photographs of the family etc. At eight/nine I didn't give it much interest as Unsolved Mysteries kinda scared me when I was that age it was mainly the theme music.

When I was thirteen I got hooked on a mini tv series called Mirror Mirror a tale through time, where a girl from 1997 went through a mirror to 1919. It was supposed to be an adventure story. Apparently she meets a young man, Russian who is kept prisoner by an English guard for his protection. He secretly tells her he is the tsar's son and he wishs to return to his family. She tells him that the family was murdered in 1918. It was a great mini series.

What really got me into the IF was a chapter in a book titled "Great Crimes of the 20th century." in 1997. It was about the abidication of Nicky and how the family was imprisoned and murdered in 1918.The story didn't mean much until I saw the photograph of four beautiful girls.